Jenna Farrey waives right to extradition hearing, will return to El Paso

During a proceeding in Delta County Circuit Court on Wednesday, (11/20) Jenna Farrey waived her right to an extradition hearing, giving El Paso authorities the right to take custody of her. In the meantime, she remains lodged in Delta County Jail. (Jenny Lancour/Daily Press)

Jenna Farrey, the mother of the missing 5-month-old baby whose body is presumed to have been found in the desert on Wednesday, will be brought back to El Paso although local officials have not said when or on what charges.

Farrey, 20, has been in the Delta County Jail in Michigan since Sunday morning when she was found with her husband, Jeffrey Farrey, 22, and 19-month-old son, Blake Farrey, in an Escanaba, Mich., motel.

The Farrey family was considered missing by police a week ago after Spc. Jeffrey Farrey failed to report to work at Fort Bliss.

The couple's other son, 5-month-old son, Jackson Farrey, was not found in the motel. Police believe they found his remains in the New Mexico desert Wednesday, the same day Jeffrey Farrey was brought to El Paso and charged with injury to a child by omission. His bond is $1.5 million.

Jenna Farrey waived her right to have an extradition hearing Wednesday during a proceeding hearing in a Delta County Circuit Court. In doing so, she has made herself eligible to be extradited back to El Paso, Delta County Prosecutor Steve Parks said.

Most defendants usually waive their extradition rights, Parks said.

"The deck is stacked against them so they are almost always going to be extradited," Parks said. "It's usually just a process of determining there is a valid warrant."

Advertisement

El Paso Police Department spokesman Detective Mike Baranyay said the department has no immediate plans in motion to bring Farrey back to El Paso. Authorities have up to 10 days after Farrey waived rights to an extradition hearing to be returned.

Jenna Farrey is being held in Michigan on suspicion of a probation violation from a child endangerment charge she pleaded guilty to in January.

Blake Farrey was turned over to Child Protective Services in Michigan, a Texas Department of Family and Protective Services spokesman said in a statement. They are working with law enforcement on the case.

The remains of the child were taken to the University of New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator in Albuquerque to determine the identity and cause of death. The body has not been confirmed as the body of Jackson Farrey, a medical investigator official said.

The arrest warrant for Jenna Farrey states that she is to be brought back to El Paso and face her probation violation in the 348th District Court.

Jenna Farrey was arrested July 24, 2012, on suspicion of abandoning or endangering a child with intent to return. She pleaded guilty in January and was sentence to five years probation.

"The Farrey family does have prior CPS history in Texas," a Family and Protective Services statement said. "CPS investigated allegations of neglectful supervision (leaving a young child at home) in June 2012 and continued working with the family thru our Family Based Safety Services program until May 2013."

In a motion to revoke her probation, the El Paso County District Attorney's Office said Jenna Farrey violated the terms of her probation by leaving El Paso County, failing to notify her probation officer of her residence and violating curfew.

Aaron Bracamontes may be reached at 546-6156. Aaron Martinez may be reached at 546-6249.

Sufjan Stevens, "Carrie & Lowell" (Asthmatic Kitty) Plucked strings and pulsing keyboards dominate the distinctive arrangements on Sufjan Stevens' latest album, and in the absence of a rhythm section, they serve to keep time. Full Story

ODESSA, Texas (AP) — A West Texas man has been charged with impersonating an officer by using sirens and flashing lights to skip to the head of the drive-thru line at a fast-food restaurant. Full Story